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BASEBALL: 2504/647 Seniors slip into loser's bracket

Posted July 19, 2011 11:00 pm

Doug Daniels

</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[After an entire week off, Pinckneyville-Du Quoin's American Legion Posts 2504 & 647 Senior baseball squad finally got started in the 5th District Tournament in Metropolis on Monday, but couldn't hold on to an early 5-0 lead and fell into the loser's bracket with a 7-6 defeat at the hands of Mt. Vernon Post 141.

With the tying run at first in the bottom of the ninth in Craig Dahlman, Seth Baxter lined what could have been a base hit to right field, but instead ended up striking Dahlman for an immediate out. Marian Brammeier singled with two outs, but Baxter was caught between second and third and tagged out to end the game.

"We've got a long road ahead now," said Pinckneyville-Du Quoin head coach Derek Beninati, referring to the four straight games 2504/647 must now win to advance to the next level.

Facing 2504/647 on the hill was John A. Logan signee Weston Mason, but the left-hander with tons of movement on his pitches failed to fool the Pinckneyville-Du Quoin hitters early in the ball game.

Bryant Shute beat a throw to first base for an infield single with one out in the bottom of the first inning, then scored on a single by Brandon George, the starting pitcher for 2504/647. After Craig Dahlman grounded to first and Adam Barczewski walked, Seth Baxter made it 3-0 with an RBI single.

Fast-forward to the bottom of the third, where Barczewski and Baxter each singled with one out and would later score on mis-plays by Post 141 to put Pinckneyville-Du Quoin up 5-0.

Meanwhile, George didn't allow a runner past second base in the first four innings, but ran into some control problems in the fifth.

Three walks and two singles led to a pair of runs that inning, and two more walks and three more hits in the sixth put Post 141 on top 6-5 as 2504/647 failed to make a number of plays on defense that could have killed both rallies.

George tied the game at 6-6 with his second RBI of the game in the bottom of the sixth, knocking in Taylor Beninati, who led off with a walk. George then retired the side in order in the top of the seventh.

After Posts 2504 & 647 also went down 1-2-3 in their half of the seventh, Mt. Vernon's Quinton Kehrer singled to lead off the eighth, advanced to second base on a passed ball, and was awarded third base when George was called for a balk. Josh Robinson then blooped a single to plate the go-ahead run before George escaped without further damage.

"I felt like we kind of let up once we got that 5-0 lead," Beninati said. "We had a chance to put them away and didn't do it, and they came back and got us in the end."

Still 7-6, Dahlman led off the ninth for 2504/647 with a single and represented the tying run when Baxter stepped in with one out. Baxter struck the ball well between first and second base, but right at Dahlman, who couldn't avoid it in time to prevent being hit for the second out. Baxter became the third out after getting caught in a rundown on Brammeier's single.

The first seven hitters in the P'ville-Du Quoin lineup hit safely in the game, led by George (2-4, R, 2 RBI, BB), Baxter (2-4, R, RBI, BB) and Brammeier (2-3, 2 BB). Shute (1-4, R, BB), Dahlman (1-3, BB, HBP), Barczewski (1-4, 2 R, BB) and Bryce Harre (1-4, BB) also had hits.

George worked eight innings on the mound, with ten hits and seven walks allowed, a balk and six strikeouts. Harre finished up by striking out the side in the ninth. Mason went six innings, allowed six runs on eight hits, eight walks and a hit batsmen to go along with six strikeouts.

Barczewski went down swinging for the first out of the ninth, then was tossed from the game for having a verbal disagreement with the umpiring crew. The catcher now will have to miss Tuesday morning's game as a result of the ejection, further dwindling a roster that is already missing pitcher/outfielder Trent Bigham, pitcher Sam Kuhnert and infielder Landon Chandler.

Noah Hepp, who was originally set to pitch game two of the tournament, now may have to suit up as catcher instead with Barczewski out of the lineup. If that is the case, Dillon Meier becomes the most likely candidate to take the hill in the must-win game for Posts 2504 & 647 on Tuesday.

In other action at the 5th Division Tournament, Alton knocked off Albion 16-5, Belleville pounded Metropolis 18-2, and Marion defeated Effingham 13-8.

Pinckneyville-Du Quoin takes on Albion at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday morning in Metropolis needing a victory to stay alive in the double-elimination bracket.

Like 2504/647, Mt. Vernon also entered their District Tournament as a 6th seed, yet came out the winner. Post 141 will meet Alton at 4:30 p.m. in the winners' bracket.

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